Talk:Unforgiven

Spelling of 'ate'
The page uses the spelling "et" instead of "ate". My revision to change this was reverted by and. The common pronunciations of ate are /ɛt/ and /eɪt/, but it is always written in the same way: ate. The source quoted at the end of the article (IMDb), as well as the subtitles in the film, agree with this spelling. Manual of style also recommends following the spelling used in the source.

Would 24.7.14.87 and UDScott please explain why they have used the spelling et despite this? --Joshua Issac (talk) 22:52, 1 January 2018 (UTC)
 * I based my reversion on watching the film (where it was pronounced as "et") as well as the way the line was written in a copy of the script that I searched for (where it is spelled "et"). Both of these are "the source" as you say the MOS suggests. In the end, I really don't have strong feelings about this - I would hardly start a battle over one simple word, but I felt that this spelling better served the reader of the page, as it reflected the proper pronunciation on the screen (where I am sure it was a conscious choice on the part of the filmmaker). ~ UDScott (talk) 23:06, 1 January 2018 (UTC)


 * "Et" is a common pronunciation of the word "ate" (see Wiktionary entry above), so it does not really warrant phonetic spelling. The other words in the sentence use conventional rather than phonetic spelling. I searched online for the script, and the script at clineteastwood.net uses ate, as do the subtitles from OpenSubtitles. It is just the Screenplays for You website that has the phonetic spelling. --Joshua Issac (talk) 00:32, 2 January 2018 (UTC)
 * I agree with the use of "et" rather than "ate" — in that it clearly indicates a specific form of regional vernacular which should not simply be dropped as insignificant in the expression. Subtitles often normalize various pronunciations for the sake of quick clarity, whereas "et" seems more accurate as a quote. ~ ♞☤☮♌Kalki·†·⚓⊙☳☶⚡ 02:14, 2 January 2018 (UTC)